If he had to make a choice between revenge and dying for me, I had no doubt he’d choose the latter, but that was just hypothetical. No need to waste a life on something imaginary.
It was quiet the whole way through. Ashton parked the car at the roadside when we approached the crossroads near the Stovall residence.
I saw Millie’s car, so I unbuckled myself. When I was about to go out, Ashton suddenly said, “You’re mistaken.”
Well, that came out of nowhere. “Sorry?”
Ashton gazed into my eyes. “You’re the most important person to me. Nothing else matters. Yes, you might have guessed it wrong this time, but that doesn’t mean you’re always wrong. I’ll risk my life for you if you were ever in trouble, and nothing can stop me. You’d better give up on dying, or I’ll dump everything on you. You can try handling my job.”
I was surprised he would go so far for that, but he was right. I was too at ease the moment I came out of the lab. I even started thinking that I should leave my life in the hands of fate. Naively, I thought everything I cared about would be alright as long as Ashton was there.
But I forgot about the fact that Ashton could never accept my death. Even the thought of it was torture for him. There was nothing more devastating than watching the person he loved waste away while he could do nothing.
It was then I realized he needed someone to tell him everything was fine. Even though I knew everything was not fine, I looked him in the eye and told him otherwise. “I won’t. Even if I am going to die, I’ll send Thora and her backers to jail before I do. I’m not going to leave my kids alone. They’re too adorable for this world.”
Ashton stopped frowning and started smiling. He knew the kids were more important to me than anything.
To think that a business genius like him would ask the same question three times just to get my confirmation. He was just like a child asking for candy.
I unbuckled myself and, before he realized it, kissed him on his cheek. Then I went out of the car, avoiding his passionate gaze.
When I went into Millie’s car feeling all smug, she revved up the engine and took me back to the Stovall residence. I looked back at Ashton, who was still in his car. He was becoming farther and farther away, but still, his gaze was fixated on me.
It wasn’t until he disappeared from my sight did I turn back to Millie. “I want to know the truth.” I stared at her through the rear-view mirror.
She looked at me calmly. “Mr. Fuller should have told you everything.”
“Yes. He let me see the truth he wanted me to believe.” I gave her a solemn look. “The apparatuses, the volunteers, everything. Everything looks so natural, so reasonable, but you guys overlooked one thing. There was nothing in the corridor, so even if I did fall, I should have bruises all over. But all I have now is my neck injury.”
I didn’t know why Ashton lied to me, but I didn’t dwell on it. All I wanted was for him to be safe and sound, and that was what he did. Also, he ordered me not to die. That was a sweet bonus.
If that was the truth Ashton wanted me to see, then I would go with the flow.
Millie said nothing, but that silence was an answer in itself. My face fell as I asked, “How much did he pay you? Holden told me skills and loyalty are the most important things for mercenaries. I’m your employer, but you worked with someone else and lied to me. You ruined my trust. You’d best give me a reason for that, or I’ll terminate you.”
